Mad Props #3

Mad Props is a series about orphaned objects and the process of photographing them in a new light.  Read about the project. For the first round of images, Big Leo artists Andrew Purcell, Sarah Cave, and Carrie Purcell teamed up to bring a new twist on the tried and true food shoot.  See the first entry here. Second entry. #3. German Sarah:  The eclectic combination of these props - lot of gold crackle detail, stylized bronze and cordial glasses, dark wood and vintage velvet - it led us straight to an imagined Austrian vignette. I had the vision that there was probably an oversized fireplace nearby, that the meal was a casual & rustic snack, and that those were simply the clean dishes on hand. Carrie:  When Sarah found this beautiful gold crackle plate, it's funny but we all collectively thought of sauerkraut! Something about the translucent color and jagged shapes of pickled cabbage just felt appropriate. The rest of the food easily fell into place to compliment the idea of sauerkraut and the rich hues in the props - dark purple potatoes, super grainy mustard and ghostly pale weisswurst. Andrew:  The only feel for this photo that would work was dark and masculine.  What better way to shoot meat and sauerkraut than with dark linens and gold plates - as if all you are there to do is eat and drink like a man.  Although the props are the main concept for this project, this shot quickly became all about the food and the feel.  I wanted to have heavy shadow areas to offset the plates and really let them stand out.  Otherwise I wanted the light and the angle to really make you feel as though you were at the table ready to dig in, no matter if it was 2010 or 1910.